This invention relates to a portable cooking unit and in particular to a cooking unit which is foldable to aid in the ignition and smothering of the fuel.
Prior art portable cooking units generally have a fixed bed into which the fuel is placed for lighting and cooking. A grill is positioned in an adjustable manner over this bed to provide a cooking surface.
Since a fixed bed cooking unit has no draft means to aid in the ignition and burning of the fuel, the lighting and warm up of the cooking unit is slow. In a fixed bed cooking unit up to 45 minutes may be required for the fuel to attain cooking temperature. In addition, when the cooking is finished the remaining fuel must either be removed from the cooking unit for smothering or allowed to burn to ash. The former is dirty and dangerous and the latter is costly.
Accordingly, it is the general purpose of the present invention to provide a portable cooking unit having folding fuel trays to aid in rapid ignition and smothering of the fuel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a cooking unit which has a lighter drawer in which to place a lighter source for igniting the fuel and to collect the ashes from the fuel trays when the cooking is completed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a cooking unit having grill support means to position the grill in the fuel trays in such a manner as to distribute the charcoal for quick lighting by the lighter source.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a cooking unit which incinerates residual grease and sterilizes the grill while the fuel is being smothered.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a cooking unit which when folded is compact to take up less storage space than fixed bed cooking units of the same capacity.